Sewage Backup - Insurance Doesn't Cover

[herbu]

Just a heads up. Y'all might have heard about the hurricane and all the rain/flooding in NC. Just SE of Raleigh, they got 12" of rain in a day. This after heavy rains a few days prior. Even in places that didn't actually flood, the ground was saturated which let the winds blow down a lot of trees.

Saturated ground means septic systems don't work. The household waste water has nowhere to go. So it can back up into the house. It happened to my little sister. Raw sewage running up through the toilet and tub, onto the floor. Nasty.

Today she said her insurance wouldn't cover any of the cleanup or damage. We called our agent to be sure our policy covered us. We've been "in good hands" for many years, and I was confident we were OK. I was wrong.

We learned in NC, sewage backup is not covered except by separate rider. It is true for all companies and policies in NC. It doesn't matter if you're on a municipal system or a private septic system. Coverage is cheap. $22/yr for $5k coverage, or $30/yr for $10k coverage. Those are the only 2 options, and again are standard for all companies in NC.

I don't know how it works in other states, but I suggest it would be worth a phone call to check. We had no idea.

 

[TLS Guy]

I think that is pretty common. Sewer back up is an added charge. Even then if it is part of a general flood it often does not pay, especially if flood water entering sanitary sewers is the cause.

For floods, you need to have Federal Flood Insurance. The problem is homes do flood where Federal Flood insurance can not be obtained.

If Federal Flood insurance is available to you it guarantees you are in a flood prone area. You should purchase it, even if you never flooded before. In floods where Federal Flood Insurance is available in flood events only about 25% of those with severe damage have purchased it! So in floods about 75% of the losses at least are uninsured.

Even then, Federal Flood insurance only has limited coverage for anything below ground. It covers the electric panel and HVAC and that's about it. Their argument is that things like washers and dryers could have been brought upstairs. Coverage for losses above ground is generally excellent.

I'm used to this, I lived in the Red River Valley of the North for 30 years, which is just about the flood capital of North America. Our first flood with damage was 1979.

 

[highfigh]

If the house has a sump pump, another rider is needed for failure or backup through it, which happened to me in 2010. It rained heavily for quite a while, but that's not the reason we had a problem- The storm came through on a West to East line, not angled as usual from Northwest to Southeast, which put a huge strain on the ability of the Milwaukee River to contain the water that entered directly and from runoff. I had a window open while it rained and the problem wasn't due to the amount of rain that fell here, it was from the rain that fell about 15 miles to the North in a line that crossed the river and created a surge in water level that the river and all of the streams and creeks were unable to handle without going over the banks. One of the creeks is about 50 yards to the West and the normal level is around 7' below the road but on that day, it was close to 15' higher than usual and as the rain fell, I realized that the sound of rain falling on pavement had changed to the sound of rain falling on water. I looked out and the creek had risen and the water line was in front of my house and moving higher. It eventually stopped two houses to the North of mine, but that's not the real problem- The first part of the storm stopped dumping on us around 4PM, but my problem was from the rain th at started around 9:30 coupled with the maple tree's tap root directly over my sewer lateral and the power in the area going out between 9:45PM and 4:25AM.

I now have a generator. Fortunately, I had both sewer and sump pump backup coverage, but when I called Acuity Insurance, I was told that the damage probably wouldn't be covered since it came in from two places. Wha, wha, whaaaat? I never heard about that before!

Check your policies, people- never assume anything.

 

[Midwesthonky]

It's a pretty crappy problem. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I once lived in an area that was very flat and flood prone. One guy I worked with had a sump pump, then a backup sump pump, and a third battery operated sump pump just in case the power went out. You needed it up there. Thankfully, the last two homes I have owned all were high enough that if they flooded, we had biblical level issues.

But Herbu makes a good point about the septic system. I have a septic and I'm going to ask if my home policy covers it or not.

 

[herbu]

I have a septic and I'm going to ask if my home policy covers it or not.

Wise move. In fact, if you're not already 100% positive, it would be irresponsible not to make the phone call. Even if you're on a municipal system. If some kind of trash or malfunction clogs up the sewer line, do you think the city will pay for your damage?

Y'all know I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I thought we were fully covered with our homeowner's policy. Itemized valuables and firearms, refrigeration failure, blanket, sue-age (ha-ha), etc. After the news from my sister, I poo-poo'd the suggestion from my wife to check our policy. I was sure we were covered. Only called our agent to placate my wife. I was dumbfounded.

It's a free 5-minute call to your agent. If you're not already sure enough to bet your house, you should make the call. Ask my sister.

 

[Jeffrey S. Albaugh]

Wise move. In fact, if you're not already 100% positive, it would be irresponsible not to make the phone call. Even if you're on a municipal system. If some kind of trash or malfunction clogs up the sewer line, do you think the city will pay for your damage?

Y'all know I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I thought we were fully covered with our homeowner's policy. Itemized valuables and firearms, refrigeration failure, blanket, sue-age (ha-ha), etc. After the news from my sister, I poo-poo'd the suggestion from my wife to check our policy. I was sure we were covered. Only called our agent to placate my wife. I was dumbfounded.

It's a free 5-minute call to your agent. If you're not already sure enough to bet your house, you should make the call. Ask my sister.

Years ago, we had this problem in our basement. It was a royal mess like you could not even imagine. WE called our Insurance Company. They came out to see it. Here is what they told us. They do not cover what happened, but they would pay for the damage that took place. They paid or 90% o everything. WE had a big ol' on our faces. They paid in excess of $15K. Happy days are here again!

 

[Diesel57]

I think that is pretty common. Sewer back up is an added charge. Even then if it is part of a general flood it often does not pay, especially if flood water entering sanitary sewers is the cause.

For floods, you need to have Federal Flood Insurance. The problem is homes do flood where Federal Flood insurance can not be obtained.

If Federal Flood insurance is available to you it guarantees you are in a flood prone area. You should purchase it, even if you never flooded before. In floods where Federal Flood Insurance is available in flood events only about 25% of those with severe damage have purchased it! So in floods about 75% of the losses at least are uninsured.

Even then, Federal Flood insurance only has limited coverage for anything below ground. It covers the electric panel and HVAC and that's about it. Their argument is that things like washers and dryers could have been brought upstairs. Coverage for losses above ground is generally excellent.

I'm used to this, I lived in the Red River Valley of the North for 30 years, which is just about the flood capital of North America. Our first flood with damage was 1979.

Just a heads up. Y'all might have heard about the hurricane and all the rain/flooding in NC. Just SE of Raleigh, they got 12" of rain in a day. This after heavy rains a few days prior. Even in places that didn't actually flood, the ground was saturated which let the winds blow down a lot of trees.

Saturated ground means septic systems don't work. The household waste water has nowhere to go. So it can back up into the house. It happened to my little sister. Raw sewage running up through the toilet and tub, onto the floor. Nasty.

Today she said her insurance wouldn't cover any of the cleanup or damage. We called our agent to be sure our policy covered us. We've been "in good hands" for many years, and I was confident we were OK. I was wrong.

We learned in NC, sewage backup is not covered except by separate rider. It is true for all companies and policies in NC. It doesn't matter if you're on a municipal system or a private septic system. Coverage is cheap. $22/yr for $5k coverage, or $30/yr for $10k coverage. Those are the only 2 options, and again are standard for all companies in NC.

I don't know how it works in other states, but I suggest it would be worth a phone call to check. We had no idea.

Wise move. In fact, if you're not already 100% positive, it would be irresponsible not to make the phone call. Even if you're on a municipal system. If some kind of trash or malfunction clogs up the sewer line, do you think the city will pay for your damage?

Y'all know I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I thought we were fully covered with our homeowner's policy. Itemized valuables and firearms, refrigeration failure, blanket, sue-age (ha-ha), etc. After the news from my sister, I poo-poo'd the suggestion from my wife to check our policy. I was sure we were covered. Only called our agent to placate my wife. I was dumbfounded.

It's a free 5-minute call to your agent. If you're not already sure enough to bet your house, you should make the call. Ask my sister.

Herbu, my condolences to you and your love ones and to all that encountered the life threatening experience...Guy is very accurate with his response concerning flood insurance, I worked with FEMA as a human resource specialist and weather one is a home owner or renter from one state to the next, flood insurance is a separate entity and if flood insurance is available, I encourage folks to get it, I no longer work for FEMA but if there's anyway I can assist you with information or insight it would be a pleasure, I hope all goes well...

 

[herbu]

if there's anyway I can assist you with information or insight it would be a pleasure, I hope all goes well...

Thanks, Diesel. In fact, we didn't have any problem, though my sister did. After telling us her insurance wouldn't cover it, we called our agent to check. Our agent confirmed we were not covered for sewage backup. We are now.

I just thought if both my sister and we were ignorant of this specific coverage, maybe others would be too. Figured it was worth a heads-up.

 

[Diesel57]

Thanks, Diesel. In fact, we didn't have any problem, though my sister did. After telling us her insurance wouldn't cover it, we called our agent to check. Our agent confirmed we were not covered for sewage backup. We are now.

I just thought if both my sister and we were ignorant of this specific coverage, maybe others would be too. Figured it was worth a heads-up.

Glad it all worked out and no one was hurt...